“My guess? She just wants the job done. Doesn’t care how. And — for better or for worse — Angelica is family. Reis would trust her to keep things quiet.”
He hung up soon after that. Raze went back inside, trying to read to pass time, but failing dismally after her conversation with Finn. Instead, she stared at the wall clock, watching the minute hand inch its way around as she thought about Lix’s crew. Ben was the one she kept going back to, though. When the room blurred, and the vision swept Raze away, Ben’s image slipped in with her, as though she’d snagged his sleeve and dragged him along by force.
He was younger here, barely in his teens, scrawny and gaunt-faced. It was early evening, and he was standing in a line, waiting outside a door. The smell of food drifted outside, rich and enticing, and Raze watched Ben scenting the air hungrily like a wolf might. The shabby elderly man standing in front of him turned. “Food’s good here,” he told young Ben. “But you’re a kid. They’re gonna make you talk to the social worker.”
Vision-Ben gave the door a longing look and stepped away from the line. He wrapped long arms around his skinny torso and walked away, chin tucked down against his chest. Raze’s own chest ached as she watched him leave. He was a child, and the Court had made him an outcast. It wasn’t fair. She opened her eyes and blinked as the wall clock swam back into focus.
Evening finally arrived. Raze put her book back on the shelf and left the library’s cozy embrace, coat pulled tight against the chill. She caught the subway to Gareth’s place, trying to choke down a sandwich that she was too nervous to eat. She gave up halfway through, picking at the crust instead.
The station near Gareth’s was almost empty, the after-work rush long over. She tugged her hat on and set out, walking fast.
“Raze? Hey, Raze. Wait up!”
She turned to see Ben hurrying to catch up. “Ben, right?” she asked, aiming at casual.
He flashed her a smile. “Yeah. Ben Kelley.” He didn’t ask for her surname, and she didn’t give him one. He fell into step beside her, long legs easily matching her hurried pace. “It’s freaking cold today. I hate winter in the city. You live here?”
“Sometimes,” she answered. “I don’t really mind winter, though. I mean, the cold sucks. But I like the longer nights.”
“Do you ever shift here?”
She shook her head. “A wolf running around the city? Too risky. But the dark is fun. Dark is freedom.”
He looked around, checking they were alone, and lowered his voice. “So, have you done this a lot?”
“What, ride the subway?” She grinned up at him. God, he’s tall, she thought.
He gave a small huff of amusement. “No. I mean this sort of job. Preternatural stuff.”
“You’re seriously asking for my resume? Here, in the middle of the road?”
It was dark, but she could swear he blushed. He was cute, even in the garish orange beanie he was wearing. He lifted a hand to adjust his glasses, and she caught sight of his battered knuckles, scabs layered on top of older scars, silvery with age.
She broke the awkward silence. “The answer is, not really. I mean, I’ve done a job or two of that kind. Hit a couple of preternatural targets. But humans are safer. With preternaturals, you never know what kind of payback you might get.” She was winging it, trying to talk tough, but he seemed to buy it because he nodded.
“Good point. This target of ours, I don’t know. I think Lix is crazy. I think if it goes wrong we’re in serious trouble.” His voice turned hard. “But I don’t really have a choice.”
“Is she blackmailing you? Lix?” she blurted out on a hunch. By the look on Ben’s face, she’d hit the jackpot. “Sorry,” she added. “It’s really none of my business.”
He just shrugged. “It is what it is. I’ve worked with them before. Lix, Gareth, and May. They’re good. You can trust them while the job lasts.”
He put a strange emphasis on the last words. Raze gave him a sideways glance, eyes falling to his hand and the messy scabs on his bruised knuckles. “We’ll see. Hey, what happened to your hand?”
“Boxing. I don’t like gloves.”
“That sounds painful. Why would you do that to yourself?”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “My grandfather was a bare-knuckle champ. He taught my dad, my dad taught me. Helps clear my mind. What do you do to clear your mind, Raze?”
The question was oddly intimate, the sort of thing best left for a fireside conversation among friends, perhaps with mugs of hot chocolate and a ton of blankets. It felt out of place in this dismal street with the night raking icy claws down her back.
“I grew up in an orphanage.” For some reason, she wanted to tell him the truth. Or part of it, at least. She couldn’t help being drawn to him. The young teen from her vision was still fresh in her mind. “I used to sneak out at night and roam the city. Just walking around, or climbing up buildings to explore the rooftops.”
“You’re a good climber, then?”
“The best,” she replied.
He grinned at that. “I guess you’ll have your chance to prove it soon. Look, we’re here.”
She watched him as he buzzed up to Gareth, measuring him. He seemed okay. Pretty decent, actually, and not really what she’d imagined a hardened criminal and the son of murderers to be like. And Lix had forced him into this job. That was useful information. Ben could prove to be an ally if she needed one.
***
Lix was at the head of the table when they arrived, talking in a low voice to Mayumi in something that sounded vaguely Spanish. Raze guessed it must be Portuguese. She sat next to Ben, in a sort of implied show of allegiance, and nodded to Finn across the table. He winked at her. “All right, girlie? Looking a bit tense there.”
“I’m fine,” she answered coolly. “I’m not the one who seems to think this is all a joke.”
“Ah, a little smile goes a long way,” he said, leering openly. “Go on, flash me one. Bet you’re pretty when you smile.” This had been his idea, earlier. “Don’t let them see we’re chummy,” he’d said. “Don’t let them smell a rat.”
She showed him both middle fingers and sank back in her chair, scowling, arms crossed. Inside, she was resisting the urge to laugh. Ever since she’d met him at the end of summer, Finn had been nothing but nice. Always cheerfully polite, he was like a teddy bear in barracuda form.
Lix looked up sharply. “Finn, keep your personal remarks to yourself. You’re not here to get laid. Raze, please refrain from killing my pixie until the job is over.”
“I’ll play nice if he does,” she snapped, still scowling.
Finn rolled his eyes. “Fine. But you lot are no fun. So, if I’m not allowed to chat up the young lady, can we please get to work?”
In answer, Lix tipped back her head and hollered, “Gareth! Hurry up in there.”
There was an answering grumble from the kitchen and then Gareth emerged with a tray heavily laden with bowls of chips, dip, and a steaming pile of pizza rolls. He fussed around for a while, handing out soft drinks and water — no vodka this time, Raze noted, relieved.
Finn sniffed at his soda suspiciously. “No spell crap in this, right?” he asked Lix. “That stunt you pulled the other night was a low blow. I did not appreciate it.”
“Tried to break the contract, did you?” she asked, amused.
“Tried to tell my old Ma, that’s what.” Finn answered sourly. “And wound up in bed for half of today coughing up my insides. Look, I wasn’t going to talk, okay? It’s just my Ma. She worries. I always tell her about my jobs. So she knows who to bite if I die.”
Gareth interrupted Lix before she could start on the pixie. “Dude, you’ll be fine. You’re not dying on my watch. No one ever dies on Lix’s jobs. Tell your Ma not to worry. And no biting, okay? Sheesh, what’s with the biting, anyway?”
Raze looked curiously at Finn’s sharp teeth. She kind of wanted to know about the biting, too. But Finn never had a chance to answer. Instead, Lix too
k the reins.
“If we’re all done discussing Finn’s mother, I suggest we get to work. We have a lot of ground to cover tonight. Any objections? No? Good. So here’s the deal.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ben
Ben stuffed a couple of pizza rolls in his mouth and eyed Lix. She was in full swing, in the middle of her usual pep speech about teamwork and operating as “one smooth, well-oiled machine”. He could probably quote that spiel in his sleep, he’d heard it so many times. But he knew better than to interrupt.
To his right, Raze bounced one leg nervously, hands clenched in a tight knot on her lap though her face was a smooth, interested mask. He wondered what her story was. She’d said she was an orphan. He could make a stab at the rest. A mixture of boredom, failed foster homes, and no one who really cared, probably. And the heady excitement of the job, of bringing home the score.
He missed it, he really did — the adrenaline rush of a job well done. He’d only left because he couldn’t stand Lix’s machinations any longer. That last job, the Cresswell diamonds? That had been a low point, even for her. Using his dead parents as leverage. Ben’s fingers found the leather cord he wore around his neck, and touched the bump his mom’s runestone made under his shirt.
He’d walked out after Cresswell, telling himself that was it. Gabi had backed his decision, and promises had been made. But he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t a thrill to be back, even if Lix had forced him into it.
Across the table, the pixie was smirking, amused by Lix’s pretty speech. Ben’s mouth tightened. Yesterday, Finn had seemed like a fun guy. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He didn’t like the pixie hitting on Raze. She was a big girl, she could clearly take care of herself, but Ben still didn’t like it. After that short chat on the street, he felt weirdly protective of her. And Lix’s cold words from the other night still rankled. There was no way he was letting Lix use Raze as a scapegoat for this stunt they were trying to pull.
The opening speech wound down. It was time to actually pay attention.
“Okay, team. As you know, our target is one of the High Baron’s vaults. Yes, he has several. The one we want is located at his lodge in the Catskill Mountains.”
“The Catskills?” Gareth looked disgruntled. “Really? Why not someplace closer to New York, like all the normal millionaires? Greenwich, or Westchester.”
“He does have a weekend house in Greenwich,” said Lix. “That’s where one of his main vaults is. The other is in his home in Manhattan. This place, well, he keeps it low-key on purpose. Tries not to call attention to it. That’s because it’s where he keeps some of his prize collectibles. Including the one we’re after.” She began handing out large, glossy photographs. Ben noticed they were the exact size and finish as the ones she’d sent of him and Gabi. She caught the look on his face and had the good grace to look embarrassed.
May picked up one of the photos, an aerial shot of an estate surrounded by dense woodland. “It doesn’t look like much. Are you sure this is the right place? It’s… kind of a dump, for a mansion.”
Ben pulled one of the images over. It showed an old-fashioned lodge house built of logs and stone. Built right in the middle, over the front door, there was a stubby round tower that looked kind of like a lighthouse. The entire place was a little dilapidated — not in terrible shape, just slightly run down and outdated. It kind of fitted; as far as he knew, the Catskills weren’t particularly fancy.
“Low-key, remember?” said Lix. “It was his grandmother’s place, apparently. He’s said to keep it for ‘sentimental reasons’. He’s almost never seen there, and his Greenwich place is pretty textbook for a rich guy. I’ve been to it. It looks like an English cottage on steroids, all bricks and half-timber, climbing roses and ivy trailing across the walls. But this place, this sorry-looking mountain house, is where the prime goods are kept.”
Lix cleared her throat. “We drive up to the Catskills on Friday morning, and go in on Friday night. The only staff members who live on site are a butler and a housekeeper, a married couple. They’re both vampires. There’s a security company, one of those off-site ones, but the alarms are down because the house had some water damage and Winslow’s having all the electrical wiring upgraded. It’s perfect. Oh, and there’s a groundskeeper guy who lives off-property. He shouldn’t be a problem; he doesn’t work weekends.
“The entire property has a warded perimeter, like an early warning system, but it’s thinly stretched along the wooded border. So that’s where we go in. We’ll have a bit of a hike to get to the right spot, but once we get there, May should be able to poke us a hole in the ward-wall without too much trouble. After that, it’s a short distance to the gardens surrounding the estate. We’ll have to be on the lookout for magical tripwires and alarms. Once we reach the main house, we target the staff and immobilize them. I have a neat little stasis spell lined up to keep them out of our way. Finn, that’s your job: site control. Keep an eye on the vampires, and on anything else that might happen while we’re in the vault. Figure out any weapons and equipment you’ll need, okay?”
“Okay.” Finn drummed his fingers on the table, frowning. “How long will the stasis hold?”
“Until around Sunday night. We should be well clear by then,” said Lix.
“So I don’t need to restrain the vampires, right? But I’ll still need restraints in case anyone else shows up to the party. Zip ties, rope, duct tape. Better safe than sorry. I have my own weapons, I’m good with that. And I know someone who can get me a canister or two of tear gas.”
Lix gave Finn a curt nod. “Good. You get on that. Next up will be Raze. Once the vampires are down, we break into the vault.” She tapped one of the close-ups. “See the tower? The vault is inside, in that wooden room at the top. You need to get us up to that sort of balcony thing that goes all around the outside. May will take it from there.”
Raze took the photo. “Piece of cake. That stonework? I can climb that easily. I don’t even need equipment for it. I’ll take one of those emergency ladders they sell as fire escapes, you know, the portable folding ones? And then once I’m up I’ll send it down for you.”
“If it was going to be easy, I wouldn’t have hired you.” Lix smirked at the werewolf. “There’s a glamour on the tower. It’s a lot taller than it looks. But you can’t see the actual size, even if you’re touching it. What, you thought Winslow was going to make this easy?”
Raze blinked. “Are you serious?” she exploded. “How the hell am I supposed to climb something I can’t see properly? I don’t even know what sort of equipment I’ll need.” Her hand was clenched tight in a fist on her thigh, and Ben reached over and settled his own hand over hers.
“Hey, don’t worry. Lix will have a plan. Lix always has a plan.” He meant to reassure the werewolf, but his last words had a bitter ring to them. Lix’s plans worked, but he’d learned from experience not to expect to walk away unscathed. This was the second time one of Lix’s schemes had screwed with him directly. There wasn’t going to be a third time, not if he could help it.
“’Course I have a plan,” she scoffed. “I can’t tell you beforehand what sort of climb you’ll be dealing with, Raze. But I’ll have visuals for you when we get there. Can you work with that?”
Raze nodded, shoulders still visibly tense. “Yeah. It’s not ideal, but I can work with it. I’ll pack for contingencies.”
“Okay, so you climb up, and then let down the ladder. May goes up first, and deactivates any warding on the actual door to let us in. That’s when the fun and games begin. Does anyone here know what sort of rare magic the Baron is famous for?”
May answered promptly. “He’s a time bender.” She breathed in sharply. “Wait. Are you seriously telling me he’s hidden the target in a time warp?”
“That’s what my intel says,” replied Lix. “His whole vault is a time warp. Not only that, but he may have used a space warp, too.” Gareth whistled.
Finn held up a hand. “Not wanting to i
nterrupt the High Baron Admiration Society, but what the hell is a time warp? Or a space warp? Some enlightenment for us non-witches would be nice, eh, girlie?” The last was directed at Raze with a grin, but she just rolled her eyes and ignored him.
May answered. “A time or space warp is exactly what it sounds like. A pocket of time or space that doesn’t follow the laws of the natural world. If you enter a time warp, time acts strangely. It can speed up, or slow down. For a vault, you’d want it to slow down. A thief could enter a warp on oh, say, a Friday, and still be in there on Sunday. Easier to catch them at it. A space warp is even harder to pull off. It shrinks or stretches your geographical location. Instead of walking across a room, you might find yourself hiking for miles.”
Ben chimed in. “It’s really, really difficult magic, and Winslow is pretty much the only witch alive who can do it. He must have taken years to set it up, that’s how complex a spell it is. This could make things almost impossible.”
“Almost?” Raze asked, a glint in her eye at the challenge.
“Almost,” he repeated. “We’re good at what we do, Raze. And I’m guessing Lix has a few tricks up her sleeve.”
“I do,” Lix said. “But I’ll need your help, Ben. And Raze’s, too. I have a little side project for you. A certain something I need that will allow us not to lose track of real-time or real-space once we go in, and help us see the tower clearly when we get to it.” Her smile turned sharp. “It’ll be a good test of Raze’s abilities.”
“What about the rest of us?” asked Gareth. “What do we do until Friday?”
“We have enough work to keep us busy. You’ll be on equipment inventory, as usual. Raze, you should give Gareth a list of any stuff you’ll need, okay? Finn, you told me you’re good with cars, right? So I need you on transport. I’ll give you cash to use. A couple of used SUVs should do the trick, nothing flashy, but they need to get us up dirt tracks into the middle of the woods. May has a lot of ward work to prepare for; I have a list of some of the most common wards Winslow has been known to use. Anyone who’s free can help me prepare potions. We need to be ready for anything once we’re in the warp: booby traps, magical protection, the works. Winslow’s son-in-law is an expert at golems. You know, animated clay creatures? I won’tbe surprised if we meet a couple of those along the way.”
Night Blade: Blade Hunt Chronicles Book Two Page 8
